Boston Civic Symphony Marks Centennial with Historic 4-Concert Season

Music Director Francisco Noya leads the Boston Civic Symphony in the opening concert of its centenary season at Jordan Hall on November 10, 2024. Maestro Noya will be at the podium for all 4 concerts during the season, which will highlight Civic’s history and showcase the artistic connections that have shaped its 100 years of making music. Tickets and information about all Boston Civic Symphony concerts can be found at bostoncivicsymphony.org.

“Our opening concert in November pays homage to our inaugural season with Schubert's Rosamunde Overture,” said Noya. “It was performed by the orchestra on that first concert. We will revisit Schubert on this concert with his Unfinished Symphony, a piece that was frequently performed over the first quarter century of Boston Civic.”

The November 10th concert will also include two works by Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs, featuring soprano Diana McVey, as well as other soloists to be announced; and his vibrant Rosenkavalier Suite.

The annual Holiday Concert on December 15th will showcase Civic’s ongoing collaboration with Boston Latin School Chorus, conducted by Ryan Schneider. Repertoire, guests and soloists for this concert will be announced in the coming weeks.

The March 9th concert will open with Wagner's Overture to Meistersinger, as an homage to Max Hobart. The program will include George Walker's Trombone Concerto with the virtuoso trombonist Toby Oft as soloist. “Sibelius’s Symphony No. 7, a masterpiece which premiered in 1924,” said Noya, “is in honor of our second Music Director, Paul Cherkassky, who had a profound friendship and artistic link with Sibelius.”

The 100th Anniversary Season will conclude on April 27th in a grand celebration of unity and joy with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. “We are inviting the audience to join the orchestra along with Chorus Pro Musica, and our soloists in the final movement creating a communal and exhilarating conclusion to our centenary season,” said Noya. “This piece, with its timeless message of brotherhood and joy, is the perfect finale to a season that honors our past and looks forward to our future.”

About Boston Civic Symphony
Founded in 1924 by the late educator, conductor, and composer Joseph Wagner, the Boston Civic Symphony is one of Boston’s most respected musical organizations. At the time, Wagner was director of music in Boston public schools and had formed an all-high school orchestra of Boston students. Those musicians became the nucleus of the Boston Civic Symphony that performed during the 1924-25 season.

Over the past century, Civic has distinguished itself from other community classical music groups by building on Wagner’s model of engaging exceptionally skilled student musicians alongside classically trained amateur performers. Leonard Bernstein and Yo-Yo Ma are two notable soloists who performed with Civic, during their time as undergrads at Harvard.

Literally dozens of Civic alumni have gone on to professional careers after playing with the orchestra. They include longtime Boston Symphony Orchestra flutist James Pappoutsakis and cellist Mickey Katz, as well as Bryce Leafman who is currently the assistant principal timpanist for the San Francisco Symphony.

Boston Civic’s roster for the centennial season remains true to Wagner’s original vision. It is composed of talented pre-professionals pursuing advanced degrees in the Boston area, alongside classically trained amateur musicians from the Greater Boston area, many of whom have been members of the orchestra for several years.

In 1944, Paul Cherkassky took the baton as Music Director, , who in turn passed the baton to Kalman Novak who led the orchestra from 1961-69. He was succeeded in 1971-72 by Michel Sasson, who later served as music director of Boston Ballet; and Benjamin Zander served as music director from 1972-79.

For the next thirty-eight years, Music Director Emeritus Max Hobart led the Boston Civic Symphony – one of the longest tenures for any symphony orchestra conductor in history, In 2017, Francisco Noya succeeded him and continues to lead the orchestra today.

Francisco Noya is a prominent figure in the Boston and New England music scene, where he has earned a reputation as a versatile interpreter of symphonic and operatic literature. Noya began his professional career in his native Venezuela, as conductor of the Youth Orchestra of Valencia, one of the original ensembles of “El Sistema.” After earning advanced degrees in composition and conducting from Boston University, Noya was appointed to serve as assistant conductor of the Caracas Philharmonic and assistant to the music director of the Teatro Teresa Carreño, one of the most prestigious theaters in Latin America.

In addition to serving as music director of the Empire State Youth Orchestra in Albany, New York for ten seasons, Noya has appeared as guest conductor of the Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, Baltimore, Nashville, San Antonio, and Omaha Symphony Orchestras, among others.
He has been a member of the Conducting faculty at Berklee College of Music for nearly 24 years.

Boston Civic Symphony concerts for the 2024-25 season will take place on Sundays November 10th, March 9th, and April 17th at 3pm at Jordan Hall in Boston; with the Holiday Concert December 15th at 4pm, will be at Roxbury Community College. Tickets and information can be found at bostoncivicsymphony.org.